Waste Free Toronto

Last week, Council approved the next stage of the Long Term Waste Strategy. It was great to see some positive discussion about diversion - and a number of Councillors mentioned TEA's messages.  

Toronto's city solid waste workers are an essential part of Toronto's waste diversion programs.

Waste workers have an insider's perspective on waste - they deal with waste everyday, and they see the mistakes people make and the impact that new recycling programs have on the volume of waste being picked up.

We asked a few of Toronto's solid waste workers for their thoughts on how we can build a Waste Free Toronto.

Reducing waste, buying less, and carefully recycling the rest is key to going Waste Free. But when buying new, choose products made from recycled material. Buying recycled supports the green economy, and saves energy and water.

To show how easy it is to buy recycled, we've compiled a list of 5 everyday things you can easily buy recycled right now (and this will help you complete Challenge #6 in the Waste Free Challenge!)

It's a new season, and with it comes new styles, and new clothing. What can you do with your clothes to reduce waste going to landfill?

Clothing, shoes and fabrics in good condition can be swapped, donated or sold to someone else who can re-use them. You can also mend or alter your clothes to create a new look.

Did you know that you can also recycle your old textiles that are just too worn out for re-use? 

Though many people toss coffee cups in the Blue Bin, the sad truth is that take out coffee cups are just not recyclable in Toronto's blue bins. That means far too many cups are sent to Toronto's landfill each year. 

So what can Toronto do?

First - we can all carry a refillable mug, or have our coffee at the cafe. But, when it comes to coffee on the run, the good news is that the City of Toronto is studying the problem and doing some pilot tests this summer.

Talking about waste as a community is one of the most important parts of the Waste Free Challenge - when we work together, our impact can be huge!

TEA has partnered with CASSA - the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians - to promote the Waste Free Challenge in the South Asian community. This week, the CapaCITY Creators team launched a Waste Free Guide to Hosting a Dinner Party with a waste free picnic in Scarborough (photo).

Food waste is the largest single waste type in most households, and it's also a major source of waste at work.

As part of taking the Waste Free Challenge, we at TEA decided to tackle food waste in our office since we have no green bin pick up. Jocelyn from WASTENOT Worm Farms helped us set up an indoor worm composter with hundreds of red worms!